Overview

A black flag is the traditional international
anarchist flag. It «negates all borders».Marcus Wendel, 13 Aug 1999

My personal consideration of the black flag is that it denotes
«liegeance to nothing higher». Plain black represents
total absence of liegeance.Solver Hafsteinn Hafsteinsson, 19 May 2000

The black flag is very much a traditional flag. There is no official
version of its significance, of course. It has been said to symbolize
the negation of national flags, solemnity, resolve and mourning. It
is also a symbol of unity (all colours in one) and strength. Some
suggest it was an adaptation of the pirate flag.Matthias Speer, 05 Feb 2003

Regarding the symbolism of the colour black:

Dried blood

Hunger, misery and death

The anarchist black flag is supposed to have been first
used during the Paris Commune of 1871 by Louise Michel
and has since been used by various anarchist organizations
since.Marcus Wendel, 16 Aug 1999

This is historically incorrect, possibly a myth
associated to the mythical Louise Michel:

the flag hoisted by the Communards on the City
Hall of Paris was the red flag
[pst98]

Louise Michel was not yet an anarchist in 1871.
After the defeat of the Paris Commune, during which
she had administrated the Revolution Club,
she was sentenced to deportation. She arrived in
New Caledonia in 1873, and began to educate the
Kanaks and support them in their revolt against
the colons. She herself dates from this period
her adhesion to anarchist ideas. She was amnisiteid
in 1880 and came back triumphally to Paris (and
was later nicknamed the "Red Virgin". Then she
became the mythic voice of the workers’ movement
and anarchism. She died in 1905. (Source:
Encyclopaedia Universalis, CD-ROM edition)

Ivan Sache, 16 Aug 1999

Historically, anarchists have made alliances with communist and
socialist movements for tactical purposes — e.g. fighting
the Austro-German occupation of Ukraine: At one point, Maqno’s
insurgent army was integrated into the Red Army,
but was allowed to keep its black flags.Matthias Speer, 05 Feb 2003